- 1 week ago
Fernando Vargas returns from his first loss to take on Wilfredo Rivera on HBO Boxing After Dark
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00:00Ship Series, we'll see what happens.
00:02Still to come here tonight, the main event.
00:04Fernando Vargas, the man whom Trinidad conquered
00:07and knocked down five times in December,
00:09back in the ring to fight the sturdy
00:11Wilfredo Rivera of Puerto Rico.
00:15The crowd is rapidly excited and ready for this one
00:18on Cinco de Mayo weekend here in El Paso, Texas.
00:30All right, we are back on camera at ringside.
00:48Larry Merchant, let's get ready for Vargas
00:51against Wilfredo Rivera.
00:52All the questions, of course, center around Fernando Vargas.
00:55Knocked down five times in his loss to Trinidad.
00:58What are the lingering effects, if any?
01:01Well, personally, he's chasing.
01:03But professionally, because he fought so valiantly
01:06against Tito Trinidad, his career seems to be enhanced.
01:13The fans are embracing him.
01:15The real question is, what's under the hood?
01:19It's one thing to be 23 years old and unbeaten
01:23and have your mind uncluttered by any doubt.
01:26It's quite another to have doubt beaten into you
01:31as Tito Trinidad did with Vargas.
01:34That's what we're going to have to watch in this fight
01:37and subsequent fights for Vargas.
01:40Interestingly, the Vargas-Trinidad fight
01:41was really like three different fights.
01:43The first couple of rounds in which you wondered
01:45how Vargas would survive.
01:46The next few rounds in which he seized control of the fight
01:49and appeared in a position to maybe come back and win it.
01:51The closing rounds in which Trinidad so ferociously sealed the deal
01:56and punished Vargas.
01:57Fernando admitted, Emmanuel, that he got too caught up
02:00in macho mind games with Trinidad,
02:02lost sight of his game plan,
02:04and allowed Felix to fight his fight.
02:06He says that he won't make that mistake again.
02:09Can he go back to being the boxer puncher
02:11that he was leading up to the Trinidad fight,
02:13or was the macho act his true colors,
02:16and will he revert to that when he gets hit?
02:18Well, first of all,
02:18I think his name should be fearless instead of ferocious
02:21because he really prides himself on his tough machoism.
02:25If he gets hurt in the fight,
02:26I think that he's going to revert back to being a tough guy then,
02:29and he's going to start slugging.
02:30I think that's just him.
02:32He has so much pride,
02:33in particular being a Mexican,
02:34and always referring to Oscar de la Hoya ran,
02:36I won't run.
02:37I think that is in his mind so much
02:39that if he gets in trouble,
02:41he's going to end up fighting toe-to-toe.
02:43Which will always make him a fan favorite,
02:45but it might not win him all the fights
02:46that he could win if he stuck with being a boxer puncher.
02:48Oh, that's true.
02:49And tonight is going to be the fight
02:50that you've got the real typical Mexican-Puerto Rican situation again.
02:54And it has all the makers of being a very emotional fight tonight.
02:57All right.
02:57Let's take a look at the tale of the tape
02:59between Fernando Vargas and Wilfredo Rivera.
03:01You'll remember seeing Rivera as a welterweight.
03:04Now he moves up to fight at 154.
03:07Vargas, nine years younger.
03:09They're equal in height.
03:10Three-inch reach advantage for ferocious Fernando.
03:12They both weighed in a couple pounds over the limit for this division.
03:15Tonight, unofficially,
03:17and that's totally unofficial on our HBO scale,
03:19Vargas is up to 165.
03:21Rivera putting on only three pounds to 159.
03:25Rules of the bout are a little different, right, Harold?
03:27Oh, yeah.
03:27Absolutely different.
03:28So listen up.
03:29The ferocious Fernando Vargas-Wufredo Rivera fight
03:33is scheduled for 10 rounds,
03:35not title,
03:36using the rules of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
03:40There is no standing eight count.
03:42The three-knockdown rule is in effect.
03:46Only the referee can stop the fight,
03:48and he can be saved by the bell in the 10th and final round only.
03:53Jim.
03:54All right.
03:55Thank you, Harold.
03:56He is one of the nicest guys you'll ever have the privilege of meeting in boxing.
04:00We've known him for five years now,
04:02ever since he almost upset Burnell Whitaker
04:06on the island of San Martin back in 1996,
04:10coming more or less out of nowhere.
04:11Off that, he got a rematch with Whitaker,
04:13and he thought he won that fight, too.
04:15But, in fact, his second performance against Whitaker
04:17was not really as strong as his first.
04:20Nevertheless, those two fights identified him
04:22and gave him the chance at Oscar De La Hoya later.
04:26He lost to De La Hoya when he was badly cut,
04:29and the fight was stopped because of the bleeding.
04:31And then later,
04:32he was Shane Mosley's first welterweight opponent
04:35and gave Mosley some stern moments before Mosley triumphed.
04:39He was considered a very strong welterweight,
04:43moving up in weight now at the age of 32.
04:46Shouldn't be much of a problem for him,
04:49but he is facing probably the strongest fighter he has ever faced in Vargas.
04:56And right now, he should be walking into the ring,
04:59but he's not because there is a malfunction of the CD player
05:03which is supposed to be playing his entry music.
05:06So, until the CD player begins to function properly
05:09and we hear music,
05:11we're not going to see Wilfredo Rivera walking into the ring.
05:15A crucial matter in modern boxing.
05:19Does the music play?
05:21What is the music?
05:24Stop the music.
05:26Keep the music going.
05:29Hey, at least he has the gloves he likes.
05:33Let the band play.
05:36This crowd was so ready.
05:41You think somebody sabotaged his music?
05:46Incidentally...
05:47These guys take this music service.
05:49I mean, I'm seriously.
05:50They were not coming to ring without the music.
05:52Emmanuel, he's got a scratch on the bridge of his nose,
05:56on the left side of the bridge of his nose,
05:58just under his eye.
05:59And he says to me,
06:01it's just a scratch, it won't bother me.
06:02Could that compromise him at all?
06:04It is just a scratch,
06:06but with proper blows landed in that area,
06:08it could turn out to be a search cut.
06:11It's just a scratch for now.
06:13For now.
06:14It's a scratch until somebody hits it, right?
06:16Until somebody hits it, right?
06:17Yeah.
06:20All right, here comes Rivera.
06:21Rivera, perfect gentleman.
06:26In all of our years of fighter meetings,
06:30only a couple of fighters have come to the meetings
06:33wearing a coat and tie.
06:35Rivera never fails.
06:36He wears a suit and a tie.
06:38He is totally on top of his business.
06:41And he can remember every detail of his fighting career.
06:44You know, if you ask him about a previous fight,
06:46he'll say, well, in the third round, this happened.
06:48And then in the fifth round, this happened.
06:49And now we don't know where he's going
06:50because he does not seem to be headed toward his corner.
06:53He doesn't have his music.
06:55A long, slow...
06:59Ah, music.
07:00It's just a trip.
07:08Now he's able to smile about it
07:10as he does about just about everything.
07:13What a guy.
07:13And here's a closer look at Wilfredo Rivera, Larry.
07:17Rivera, as Jim pointed out,
07:19has fought the best fighters of his time
07:22come up a little short each time.
07:27In looking at Vargas,
07:28he says he's not as good as any of those guys.
07:32But, of course, he hasn't fought Vargas yet.
07:35His hope is that a win here
07:38will lead to a big fight
07:40with his countryman and friend,
07:43Felix Trinidad.
07:45Meanwhile, now, the Mexican music
07:48emanates from live group in the ring
07:51and Fernando Vargas
07:52wearing a big sombrero
07:54with his gloves on the...
07:56with his gloves on the shoulders
07:59of his father and trainer,
08:02Eduardo Garcia.
08:04Here are some of the previous walk-ins
08:07of the ferocious one
08:09with his ferocious attitude in the ring,
08:14once accompanied by a tiger,
08:18now trying to show that he's an Aztec warrior.
08:21However, tonight,
08:25he's going to tone it all down
08:27and he's just coming in
08:29for the sound of music.
08:35Well, sort of toned out, huh?
08:40They just fired
08:41shiny streamers out of a couple of
08:46cannons here.
08:51And there are some Vargas bells and whistles.
08:55Emotionally, Jim,
08:56I think he needs this
08:58to help heal the wounds
09:01of his last fight.
09:04And this has been
09:05a very opportune moment
09:09that they put the fight in El Paso
09:11where he seems to be a favorite.
09:19Well, you heard Emmanuel Stewart say
09:21that he believes
09:22the warrior mentality
09:23is thoroughly ingrained
09:25in Fernando Vargas.
09:27It's a seductive
09:28and tempting thing.
09:30The public treated him
09:31almost as though he'd been
09:33the winner in the Trinidad.
09:34Right.
09:35Because they loved
09:35seeing the courage
09:36with which he fought.
09:37You know, it was interesting
09:38during the meeting
09:39that we had with him,
09:40he spoke more emotionally
09:41about the response
09:43of the people
09:44since he lost the fight
09:46to Trinidad
09:46than anything.
09:48And he's become bigger
09:49than he was before.
09:51And that seemed to have
09:52stimulated him tremendously.
09:54And I'm thinking
09:54they love Gotti too,
09:56but he doesn't win big fights.
09:58That's right.
09:59You know?
10:00Well, this kid
10:01is an exception right here.
10:02Closer look, Larry.
10:03Closer look at Fernando Vargas.
10:05Vargas says
10:07he is not going to be
10:09caught up
10:10in the macho business again.
10:12He won't trip over
10:13the same rock
10:14he never has before.
10:16He said he'll fight wars,
10:18but intelligent.
10:18Too quickly.
10:20There are now
10:21some people
10:21who are wondering
10:22whether he's come back
10:23too quickly
10:24from a five-knockdown loss
10:26just five months ago.
10:28A career marked by precociousness
10:35and perhaps impatience.
10:39But a career which excites
10:41the followers of Vargas
10:42to such a degree
10:44that his following
10:45has grown considerably
10:47over the course
10:47of the past couple of years.
10:49And his stardom
10:50for a 23-year-old fighter
10:51is huge.
10:52You know,
10:54Fernando Vargas
10:55is the type of a guy
10:56who is very strong
10:58in his beliefs
10:59and his thoughts.
11:00And he believes
11:00in fighting
11:01and competing with the best.
11:02His entire career
11:03has been always fighting
11:04ahead of his schedule,
11:06so to say.
11:07So it was no surprise
11:08when he
11:08demanded to fight
11:10this type of a fight
11:11coming back.
11:11Revere, on the other hand,
11:20has said
11:20he's very comfortable
11:21going into this fight
11:21because this is one
11:22of the few times
11:23that he's had a chance
11:24to train properly.
11:25As a matter of fact,
11:26he was training with us
11:27in Las Vegas
11:27as early as January
11:30when Lennox was training.
11:32And he said
11:33fighting at his proper weight
11:34and he fought
11:35the pipe with Shane Mosley.
11:36He said he was really
11:37killing himself
11:38to make the 147.
11:40So he has no excuse
11:41for this fight.
11:41He's properly trained.
11:42He's in his proper weight.
11:43He feels
11:44in great condition.
11:45And it's going to be
11:46very interesting
11:47to see what happens
11:47as the fight materializes.
11:49Indeed, his second wife
11:50tried to get him
11:50to retire after he lost
11:52to Shane Mosley.
11:52And he said,
11:53no, no, I'm still good.
11:55I need to keep at this.
11:56So now,
11:57the promise to the second wife
11:58is that he'll retire
12:00if he loses tonight.
12:01And it's amazing
12:02all of his losses
12:03are to world-class
12:04championship fighters.
12:05Four losses
12:05due to Whitaker,
12:06one to De La Hoya
12:07and one to Mosley.
12:08Vargas using the first round
12:24to get a look at Rivera.
12:25Rivera using the first round
12:28to get a look at Vargas.
12:30Now Vargas traps
12:30Rivera in the corner
12:31and fires a combination.
12:35Both guys are fighting
12:36very cautious.
12:37Both have their hands up
12:38and the type of fight
12:39that you can't make
12:40any mistake
12:41in particular
12:42by dropping your right hand
12:43when you can get caught
12:44with a left hook.
12:45And you see the third
12:48right hand up
12:49the block against
12:50the left hook right there.
12:51And I'm quite sure
12:52that Vargas has learned
12:53from his fight
12:53with Trinidad
12:54because every time
12:55that he was knocked down
12:56mostly was with left hooks.
13:00Long right hand
13:01just missed for Vargas.
13:05Referee Lawrence Cole
13:06is the best that Texas
13:07has to offer
13:08at least according
13:09to our previous visits here.
13:10He usually gets
13:11the prime fight.
13:12a very cautious
13:26and tactical round one.
13:28That's the battle
13:28of the left hook.
13:29All right.
13:34One, two, one, two, three.
13:41That's what you need to do.
13:42No, one, two, three.
13:44No, one, two, three.
13:45Don't just throw
13:46both in the left hand.
13:47Not one punch.
13:50Very cautious round one.
13:52Vargas landing
13:5310 of 31 punches.
13:54Rivera, 8 of 42.
13:56To the degree
13:57that any of them
13:57were big, clean shots.
14:00Probably Vargas
14:00landed the harder punches.
14:03And that would account
14:04for Harold Budeman
14:04giving the round
14:05to young Fernando.
14:07Fernando has more
14:08hand speed
14:09than Rivera.
14:10But the biggest
14:11difference is I think
14:12in this fight
14:13may end up with them
14:13exchanging left hooks
14:15at the same time.
14:16And whoever drops
14:17the right hand
14:17probably would get
14:18caught in there.
14:19But if this change
14:20right here,
14:20they're fighting
14:21very similar styles.
14:22The speed element
14:23still goes to Vargas.
14:24A hard right hand
14:28by Rivera
14:28and Fernando
14:29Vargas goes down.
14:31And now here is
14:32the question.
14:33Now, you said it.
14:36Five knockdowns
14:37in the Trinidad fight.
14:38How would he react?
14:39Well, against a fighter
14:42who is not a big
14:43puncher either.
14:45The first time
14:46he gets hit on the
14:47butt and he goes down
14:48and he was hurt.
14:49Emmanuel, what do you think?
14:51He was a perfect
14:51right hand to it.
14:52It wasn't so much
14:53a hard punch.
14:54He never saw it coming.
14:55He was a short right hand
14:55right over the tail.
14:57And it's amazing that
14:58Rivera hasn't picked it up.
15:00He should have been
15:01a little bit more
15:02aggressive after this
15:02because if this kid
15:04recuperates,
15:05as we saw that he
15:06can do sometimes,
15:07he may come back
15:08and still win this fight.
15:10You know,
15:11when he took this fight
15:12so soon,
15:13most people that I know
15:14were very concerned
15:16about him taking
15:17a fight this quick
15:19because I really believe
15:20this lost the fight
15:21by a knockout.
15:22He took a long
15:23systematic pounder
15:24and was knocked down
15:26five times
15:27and was stopped
15:27in the late rounds
15:28instead of maybe
15:29a one-crunch knockout.
15:30So all the time
15:31that has a big effect
15:33on the guy
15:33particularly
15:34when you consider
15:35that he had such
15:36a rough fight
15:36with Ike Quarte.
15:38And even though
15:39he beat Quarte,
15:40Quarte is still physically
15:41a very strong man
15:43and it may have
15:44taken a lot out
15:44of him being
15:45such a young kid.
15:47I thought he'd be
15:48safe tonight
15:49because Alfredo Rivera
15:50is not quick
15:51but he is strong
15:52and he threw
15:53that right hand
15:54perfectly
15:54and landed it
15:56right on the bucket.
15:57He's very
15:57focused in this fight.
15:58this is now becoming
16:08a fight for survival
16:09as a top fighter
16:12for Fernando Vargas.
16:15One of the more
16:16promising fighters
16:17to come along
16:18in the last few years.
16:22Go back to the theme
16:24with which Larry
16:24began the evening.
16:26Was the whole career
16:27too much too soon
16:28for Vargas?
16:30That's one of the questions
16:32that now lingers
16:32over the ring
16:33after Fernando
16:34goes down
16:35in the second round
16:36on a straight right hand
16:37shot by Wilfredo Rivera.
16:39And the other thing,
16:40Jim, as I put it,
16:41is what's under the hood?
16:42He looks good.
16:43He looks sleek.
16:45Freshly painted.
16:47But how do you react
16:48after coming back
16:49from getting knocked down
16:51five times?
16:53He lands a left hook
16:54and they go to the wrong
16:57corners at the end
16:58of the round
16:59or at least
16:59Vargas went to the wrong corner.
17:04You gotta watch that now.
17:06The counter punch.
17:07That's why he hit you.
17:08That's why he got you
17:09because of the
17:09the counter punch.
17:12You gotta make a miss.
17:14Be careful
17:15when you throw your punches.
17:16He's gonna counter you.
17:18You gotta have
17:19good reflexes.
17:20perfect right hand
17:31after hitting Vargas
17:32and peppering him
17:34with a left
17:34comes right straight through
17:36with a right hand
17:37over the left
17:38and even if he's not
17:40a great puncher
17:41when you hit a man
17:42who's been down
17:42five times
17:43in his last fight
17:44that kind of a quick
17:46flush punch
17:47it's amazing
17:49down he goes.
17:49It's amazing
17:50he was able to get up
17:51once again
17:53a testament
17:54to his determination
17:56but we have to start wondering
17:58why is he getting hit
18:00with this many quick punches?
18:02is he really
18:04that slow?
18:11that's one of the reasons
18:12that many people
18:13in Oscar De La Hoya's camp
18:15felt if it was
18:16it came down
18:17to a choice
18:17between Vargas
18:18and Mosley
18:19they might choose
18:20to fight Vargas
18:21because they felt
18:22he didn't have
18:23the quickness
18:24that De La Hoya does.
18:26but Mosley's an exception
18:29and Mosley's an
18:29crossbar exception
18:30at this point in time
18:31in boxing
18:32in terms of speed
18:33but now he's added power
18:35also
18:35you know what
18:37when he was knocked down
18:39I don't think
18:39he made a mistake
18:40it was just one of those
18:41perfect situations
18:42that De La Hoya dropped
18:43a beautiful short right hand
18:45just as he was shooting
18:45with each other
18:46just enough overstep
18:47to get delivered
18:48and drop it in there
18:49and that type of punch
18:51he could probably
18:51hit anyone with
18:52but he didn't knock down
18:54Welterweights
18:55with those punches
18:56the good Welterweights
18:58Emanuel
18:59well I would say
19:01this is what you said
19:02he's better prepared
19:03for this fight
19:03and he's been prepared
19:04for a long time
19:05but he said
19:06if he loses this fight
19:07tonight
19:07he will have no excuses
19:09the best he's ever
19:10been prepared for a fight
19:11prior to De La Hoya
19:14fights in Atlantic City
19:15he was involved
19:16in a big divorce brow
19:17with his first wife
19:19and says that he
19:20couldn't train
19:20for the fight
19:21because he was
19:21spending his time
19:22with lawyers
19:23and having papers
19:24served
19:25and dealing
19:25with all the problems
19:26of divorce
19:26tonight
19:32Wilfredo Rivera
19:33is ready
19:34and he's giving
19:35young Fernando Vargas
19:36help
19:36the one thing
19:37that Vargas
19:38better be extra careful
19:39of
19:39was getting hit
19:40on the left hook
19:41by Jairair
19:42after Rivera
19:43throws a right hand
19:44that is what
19:45Trinidad kept
19:45particularly hitting
19:46with
19:46he throws a right hand
19:48and then Trinidad
19:49comes back
19:49with a clean up hook
19:50and Vargas got
19:52complicated
19:52about two or three times
19:54and in this fight here
19:55I saw the real
19:55just to try it
19:56and if he missed
19:57comfortable
19:57that's actually
19:58going to be a cover again
19:59so we talked about
20:02the question
20:02whether Vargas
20:03would remain
20:04a boxer punter
20:05if he got in trouble
20:06and went down
20:07or whether he would
20:08revert to the warrior
20:09mentality
20:10that seemed to damage
20:11him against Trinidad
20:12here
20:13he's trying to box
20:14and he's boxing his way
20:17in to get in a position
20:18to punch
20:19he's gradually
20:21drifting into
20:22his warrior mentality
20:23slowly
20:23that time
20:25Alfredo Rivera
20:26was winging
20:27the right hand
20:27from the outside
20:28not the same punch
20:30as the straight right hand
20:32that floored Vargas
20:33on the second
20:33he never felt
20:36one of those punches
20:36like that
20:37the rest of his career
20:37that was one of those
20:38very perfect
20:39computer printout
20:40type situations
20:41and there's a mouse
20:42under the left eye
20:43of Roberto Rivera
20:45from a right hand
20:46by Vargas
20:47Vargas
20:54put himself
20:55into the fight
20:56Mr. Garcia
20:57is not mic'd
20:58in the corner
20:58you got a ratio
21:02he wants to just
21:04throw a right hand
21:05at you
21:05when you throw
21:07the jack
21:08he wants to count
21:08over it
21:09be careful now
21:10everything's alright
21:20that's nothing
21:22you gotta move around
21:25move around
21:26move your right hand
21:29throw your right hand
21:30and come back
21:31with the left hook
21:31take some air
21:33take some more air
21:36Rivera fighting
21:41resourcefully
21:43but positively
21:45he knows now
21:46that he had to
21:47turn around the fight
21:48in that round
21:49he was aggressive
21:51but under control
21:52a very very determined
21:54young man
21:55it's going to be
21:55still very hard
21:56to beat him
21:56going down the stretch
21:57unless you're knocking out
21:58Harold how'd you have
21:59it through threes
22:00okay Jim
22:00I got it all even
22:01I got it two rounds
22:02to one on rounds
22:03for Fernando Vargas
22:05giving him the first
22:05and third
22:06but a 10-8 round
22:07from Alfredo Rivera
22:08to second
22:09makes it 28-28
22:11boxing has scored
22:12on a 10 point
22:13miss system
22:14so me and the
22:15points are even
22:16it's an even fight
22:16so far
22:17I have
22:18I have Rivera
22:20ahead by a point
22:21because I scored
22:22the first round
22:23even
22:23but it starts to look
22:27as though the big
22:27factor may be Rivera's
22:29left eye
22:29which is swelling
22:30and closing fast
22:31good quick left hook
22:52inside by Vargas
22:53who is beginning
22:56to take advantage
22:56of counter punching
22:57opportunities
22:58against Rivera
22:59misses with the
23:02counter left hook
23:03there
23:03Fernando's right hand
23:14just a tiny bit short
23:15big left hook
23:18both of these
23:24very short
23:25precision punches
23:26and you can't
23:27afford to make
23:28a mistake
23:28at all
23:29the way they're going
23:30and the punches
23:30are coming from
23:31a high end
23:32held high position
23:33Bargis
23:36Bargis busting
23:37Rivera inside
23:38with the left hook
23:39body shots there by Bargis
23:51and blood begins to flow
23:52from above the left eye
23:54of Rivera
23:54so they're swelling
23:55under the left eye
23:57there's blood from above
23:58the eye
23:58and incidentally
24:01that's the way
24:02Hasim Rahman's eye
24:03looked just before he
24:05knocked out Lennox Lewis
24:06in South Africa
24:06and I don't recall
24:08which eye
24:09was bleeding
24:11when Oscar De La Hoya
24:12stopped him
24:13but it was also
24:14on a cut
24:15solid left hook
24:30by Bargis
24:30Bargis stunned
24:32by Rivera
24:33right hand
24:33has to run around
24:35another putt
24:35Rivera gets him
24:37to the body
24:38step back
24:38step back
24:39I didn't even see it
24:42Fernando momentarily
24:43stunned there
24:44no he's been hurt
24:45he's hurt
24:45he's hurt
24:46still hurt
24:47he's still hurt
24:47it was a little
24:48right hand inside
24:49yeah I didn't even see it
24:50well he said he would
24:53try to fight
24:54an intelligent war
24:55he's trying
24:57but it's turning out
24:59to be a real war
25:00Rivera's shooting
25:02a lot of
25:03acro punches himself
25:04this time
25:04you know
25:05he's not as fast
25:06but his punches
25:07are more precision
25:08he's trying to
25:09have water on the head
25:23he has to try and
25:24stop the cut
25:24in the mouth
25:28he has blending
25:28in the mouth
25:29everything's fine
25:35we're cool
25:36it's nothing
25:36just a little cut
25:37it's nothing
25:38let me work it
25:40that's just a little cut
25:43not much
25:43that's nothing
25:45easy enough
25:48for him to say
25:49you gotta fight
25:52you gotta fight him
25:53inside
25:58the left
26:00what's happening here
26:05it seems to me
26:06there is
26:06where their heads clashed
26:08is that Rivera
26:10now knows
26:10he's gonna have to
26:11fight Vargas
26:12and he's not afraid to
26:14no, no
26:15he's not afraid of the fights
26:16and this is the one fight
26:18that he said
26:18is the perfect timing
26:20for him
26:20in terms of being
26:21prepared for a fight
26:22and I think Rivera
26:24is a heavier puncher
26:25at 154
26:26than he was at 147
26:27that's a bit
26:28he's a big tall man
26:32you look at
26:32he's really six feet tall
26:35and he's been fighting
26:37most of the fights
26:38as a lightweight
26:38and welterweight
26:39and it's just too much
26:40of a strain
26:41on him physically
26:41hard right hand
26:51with a body
26:51by Rivera
26:52early on
27:05it looked like
27:05it would be a battle
27:06of left hooks
27:07now both fighters
27:09seem to be doing
27:09more damage
27:10with the right hands
27:11Wright
27:11go
27:23go
27:23go
27:24go
27:27go
27:28go
27:28go
27:28go
27:29go
27:37Step back.
27:52Pick him up, Roberto.
27:54Four punch combination by Rivera.
27:56And he comes back to the body with savage effect.
28:01Big left hook knocks Barkas into the ropes.
28:07Break! Step back! Stop! Stop!
28:15Blood flowing again.
28:18From the cut above Wilfredo Rivera's left hook.
28:24Barkas tries to target the right cross to take advantage of the blood.
28:32Good left hook.
28:37Let's go. Break!
28:45Body shots by Rivera.
28:46They're close.
28:47Come on.
28:48Come on.
28:49Come on.
28:49Come on.
28:49Come on.
28:49Come on.
28:49Come on.
28:50Come on.
28:51Come on.
28:51Come on.
28:52Come on.
28:52Come on.
28:53Come on.
28:53Come on.
28:54Come on.
28:54Come on.
28:55Come on.
28:55Break!
28:56Step back.
28:56We're very showing some signs of fatigue.
28:59Yes, he is.
29:01Yes, he is.
29:01Yep.
29:02Mark Barkas with some of his most accurate punching in the last ten seconds of that round.
29:17Barkas is faster than his and more precise punching is a big factor, and I think the rest
29:20of the fight is a big factor.
29:21I get over this shot.
29:22I think he's punching a lot more accurate, much more better composure, and much better speed.
29:26in much better speed and he hasn't been busted up
29:31how you feel
29:37take some air give him some water breathe in
29:41let me let me work on that cut yeah give me a minute
29:46okay now we got a fight there's no more playing around
29:49deep breath
29:56okay
29:59Vargas has gotten himself into another war
30:03his strength and his will may be telling in the end
30:09but fighting back-to-back wars at 23
30:14ain't good Emmanuel no it's very very hard this is a third tough fight
30:19for him I still put the quarter fight even though it was in between but that
30:22was a very physical training fight on him to be so
30:25young and this is enough
30:31he landed a left hook inside and Rivera went to his knees as a result of a
30:36vicious fighting shot and Rivera wants to stop
30:40Robert Brenneman gets up and throws in the towel on the half of his fight but
30:53his courage has never been in question the question is the courage of who he decides to fight
31:10and what he does yeah see you guys ahead of it with a more aggressive fighter
31:15like that Rivera was tonight when that first round knockdown came he could have possibly been stopped but
31:20Rivera is too conservative and he laid back but i think he made a great comeback and i have to get him out of
31:25his credit he came back and did what he was supposed to do he steadied himself
31:29after the knockout he asserted himself with clean power
31:33punching and when he got an opportunity to end the fight he took advantage of
31:37to get that and he didn't really make a mistake when he got caught that was a
31:40perfect executed right hand over a slowdown
31:50so fernando vargas rebounds from his loss to felix trinidad with a victory
31:57but not without a price he's knocked down again
32:01the sixth time in the last two fights that he's been on the canvas
32:14and as for wilfredo rivera with four previous losses only to
32:20brunell whitaker oscar de la hoya and shane mosley add another superstar fighter
32:27to the list of those who have defeated the tough willing veteran rivera here's how it all came to a close
32:37the beginning of the round vargas assaulting rivera with two fists
32:41bringing him to the canvas with a clean body shot
32:47and a left hook inside yes the body shot did it just a delayed action but the body
32:51punch is what really knocked him down and then after rivera got back up and motioned to his
32:59corner that he couldn't see his manager robert middleman came to the ring apron with a towel to
33:05say no more for my fighter
33:10a very humane act by middleman we probably saw the final fight of two good veteran fighters who've
33:15given us a lot of thrills indeed john john molina and wilfredo rivera both of puerto rico no reason for
33:20any of them to try to go forward beyond this indeed john john molina and wilfredo rivera both of
33:26puerto rico no reason for any of them to try to go forward beyond this and prove anything they've
33:31already proven their professionalism and their grip and both of them took beatings tonight let's go to
33:35ring announcer michael buffer for the official introduction ladies and gentlemen referee lawrence
33:40cole called the hall to the bout at 39 seconds into round number six the winner by tko victory
33:5020 seconds into round number six the winner by teney rochas ferocious fernando
33:52rochas ferocious fernando
33:54Oh
34:19Final punch that numbers
34:21Vargas landing more than Rivera Rivera throwing more Vargas's connect percentage up in the very good range 39%
34:33Power punches difference in the fight
34:36Fernando landing 66 he's the bigger puncher and the quicker puncher
34:41Rivera 42 out of 108 including the perfect right hand in the second round that dumped Vargas onto the canvas
34:48But from that point forward Fernando was able to write himself and go forward to win the fight
34:55And now Fernando stands by in the ring with Larry Merchant
34:58Thank You Jim congratulations Fernando
35:01You said you wanted to get into an intelligent war
35:05Was that an intelligent war or just a war?
35:08Well you know I got caught first cold in the first round
35:12Second round
35:13I'm sorry first second round
35:14I got caught cold
35:16You know and that's the way it goes in boxing
35:18But like everybody knows you got to put me on a stretcher for me to go out
35:22Did you see your life spinning out in front of you when you got knocked down again?
35:28Did you start to say what's going on here?
35:30I've been through so much of my life Larry that you know that ain't nothing to me you know
35:36I see that as an obstacle like a lot of things in my life that I've been able to overcome
35:42We're going to show a replay of that of the punch and the knockdown
35:47And I want you to tell me did you do something wrong?
35:50And whether or not you did how hurt were you?
35:53That's the end of the fight
35:59That's that's the end of the fight when he had the bad eye
36:02We'll get back to the replay in a moment
36:04But just how hurt were you?
36:07You looked a little wobbly when you got up from that punch
36:10You know like I said I got caught cold
36:12You know he got me with a good punch
36:14All power to him
36:15But you know I've said it before he's going to take me out
36:18Did you have to change your plans after that
36:21To be less passive?
36:24I still boxed a little bit
36:25You know I still boxed a little bit like I wanted to
36:28But you know there's always room for improvement
36:30I'm 23 years of age
36:31And I look forward to getting even better
36:33Alright we'll try to run that replay of the knockdown again
36:37And ask you to tell us what you saw and what you felt
36:39Well you know I came in double jabbing
36:43I got caught with the right hand and I went down you know
36:46What are you thinking right there if you can think at all?
36:49You want me to say exactly what I'm thinking?
36:51Yeah
36:52Shit you better get up
36:54And then when you got up
36:58And were you surprised you didn't jump on you?
37:02I don't know I mean I'm expecting anything from any fighter to jump on me or to not jump on me
37:06You know I got caught with a good punch
37:08And you know I got back up and I finished the fight
37:11Why are you getting caught with these punches early in fights?
37:16You know I don't know why
37:18You know what I'm saying
37:20That punch was a punch that I was coming in with
37:22And you know they're good fighters
37:25You know they're not chums they come to fight
37:27And you know Fred Rivera never been stopped you know this early in this fight
37:31So in these fights but you know I was able to do it
37:33Do you think that you ought to slow down in coming back?
37:37That you shouldn't rush headlong into more rugged fights?
37:42That you're still a young man with a long way to go
37:45And maybe you should just take your time to get to your next goal
37:49You know I think that we're moving at a good pace
37:52He saw me pull through
37:53He saw me look good
37:54So you know I look forward to coming back
37:56What do you foresee for yourself next?
37:59Well you know that's up to my managers and promoters
38:01Just Shelly Finkel and Gary Shaw
38:04I look forward to being what happened again
38:06You know I look forward to fighting again
38:08And that's what I'm looking forward to
38:10Thank you very much Fernando
38:11Congratulations again
38:13Jim
38:14Alright thank you very much Larry
38:16Emmanuel you're a great trainer but you're just as good as a manager
38:20Now they came here to get a knockout win and provide some thrills mission accomplished
38:24They did not come here hoping to raise more questions about Fernando's future career
38:28But that's the other byproduct
38:30If you were his manager seeing what happened tonight
38:33What would you do?
38:34Six months off?
38:35I would definitely
38:36Look for an easier opponent
38:37What do you want?
38:38I would definitely keep him busy but with lesser opponents
38:40I think he's proven everything
38:41Everyone knows that he's got a lot of guts
38:43He's got a lot of talent
38:44I think he needs an easier opponent or time off
38:47He's still very young
38:48He's been in some really tough fights
38:50When he started his career off
38:51I mean he was winning the world championship I think
38:53When he was only about his 12th or 13th fight
38:55And just slow down at this point in time
38:57What would you do with him in the gym?
38:58On a day to day basis?
38:59If I would let him go to the gym
39:01Work on movement
39:02He still moves in with his head
39:04Not moving as much as it should sometimes
39:06In particular when he gets caught with left hooks and right hands
39:08When he's he's so intent on being aggressive that he doesn't look a punch his back
39:12Not having moving upper body movement
39:14Moving around slipping sliding on his toes
39:16Making him become more diversified from upper body part
39:19And let him make it enjoyment in training
39:21And not being so serious all the time
39:23He's still a kid
39:24Tremendous young talent
39:25Huge fan following
39:27Already a storied career at such an early age
39:30Fascinating to see where it goes from here Larry
39:32It is fascinating to see where we've been
39:35And where we're going next
39:38We've covered Fernando about as much as we can
39:42Let's just a word about being here in old El Paso
39:46On Cinco de Mayo
39:48Yesterday a young man came up to me during the weigh-in
39:51And said I've got a joke to tell you
39:53I said okay tell me the joke
39:55He says what's the difference between a fighter who prays in church
39:58And a fighter who prays in the ring
40:00What's the difference?
40:02The fighter who prays in the ring really means it
40:06We're in the religion of boxing
40:09A traveling tent show that takes us all over the planet
40:13In El Paso we had a couple of serious tough fights
40:19A great bunch of fans
40:21And so it goes
40:23And so we go to New York
40:25For a big big fight next week
40:27Not to mention your search
40:29Which was its own Cinco de Mayo celebration
40:32Beautifully done?
40:33Well we'll have a final word on what happened in the ring
40:35In these two fights in just a moment
40:36Right now let's look ahead to some upcoming programs here on HBO
40:39I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me
40:48And the cost is more than I can bear
40:50This war will be fought not on the frontier
40:56But amongst us
40:58No you're not going
41:00I forbid you to go
41:01I'm not a child!
41:02You're my child!
41:05Goodbye father
41:08How many men does Cornwallis have under his command?
41:11We're a breath away from losing this war, Major
41:13What are my orders?
41:14What are my orders?
41:15Mel Gibson
41:22The Patriot
41:27Premieres May 12th on HBO
41:30On the next Real Sports
41:33In a 1977 NBA game
41:35Kermit Washington flagrantly fouled
41:37When he unexpectedly punched Rudy Domjanovich
41:40Which forever altered and damaged both their careers
41:43Bryant Gumbel steps to the line with Washington
41:45To replay this unforgettable incident
41:48Plus, some female athletes may have a dangerous bone disorder
41:51And not even know it
41:52Mary Carrillo researches how women develop this condition
41:55And what can be done about it
41:57I said, Kristen, you will never be able to run again
42:00Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
42:01Premieres Monday, May 14th on HBO
42:04Nothing is out of bounds
42:07May 12th on TVKO Pay Per View
42:09Marcus Conker of Felix Trinidad
42:10Joins the Middleweight World Championship Series
42:12Taking on William Joppe for Joppe's title belt
42:15The winner meets Bernard Hopkins at the ball
42:17To determine an undisputed middleweight champion
42:19On May 26th, World Championship boxing will return
42:23As Floyd Mayweather Jr. defends his super featherweight championship
42:26Against veteran contender Carlos Hernandez
42:29In his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan
42:31That's May 26th
42:33In June 23, another pay-per-view matchup
42:35As Asta de la Hoya returns
42:37To take on Javier Castillejo
42:39Trying to win a title at 154 pounds
42:41HBO, the heart and soul of boxing
42:44Earlier here this evening in El Paso
42:48Hometown fighter Juan Lascano
42:51Took on Puerto Rico's John John Molina
42:53And gradually pounded away against Molina
42:55With accurate punching
42:56Until the fight was finally stopped in the 11th round
42:59Perhaps the last time we'll see the gallant
43:01John John Molina in the ring
43:03And then, Fernando Vargas suffered a second round knockdown
43:07At the hands of Wilfredo Rivera
43:09Recovered from the shock
43:10Got himself back on track
43:12And pounded away at Rivera
43:14Opening a cut above his eye and a bruise below it
43:16Until the fight was finally stopped
43:18On a TKO for Vargas
43:20Next on HBO, stay tuned for The Sopranos
43:24So now, for the entire HBO crew
43:27I'm Jim Lampley saying
43:28See you next week from New York City
43:33The executive producer of HBO Sports is Rick Bernstein
43:35Tonight's edition of Boxing After Dark
43:37Was produced by Kendall Reed
43:38And directed by Mark Payton
43:40The associate producers were
43:41Max Siegel and Adam Berger
43:43Welcome back Adam
43:44Assistant to the producer Greg Stern
43:45Production manager John McCalley
43:47Technical supervisor Bob Hunter
43:50And the technical director Randy Hargrove
43:53Elijah Hargrove
44:23This has been a presentation of HBO Sports,
44:47the network of champions.
44:53Boxing evolved from what people do for survival.
44:58It's not just about power, it's about finesse, it's about technique, it's everything
45:01makes me get it.
45:02I think people like seeing a great fight because they like seeing a test of wills and a test
45:06of skills.
45:07It takes a great amount of courage to step in.
45:09To stay with it and not to say, oh my god, okay, I don't want to get hit again.
45:13You never know what's going to happen.
45:14You just have this feeling that something dangerous is going to happen.
45:18The most exciting feeling in the world.
45:19It's definitely an art form.
45:22Don't miss Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather Jr. Live Saturday, May 26th on HBO.
45:29Next on HBO, Family Values have a whole new medium.
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